


Dramatic Episode

by merryghoul



Series: Everything Gets More Complicated [1]
Category: Burn Notice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-15
Updated: 2012-09-15
Packaged: 2017-11-14 06:25:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/512289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryghoul/pseuds/merryghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Fail Safe"/"Scorched Earth" AU. Fiona doesn't get arrested for the British consulate bombing in Miami. Instead, she and Agent Pearce team up to find a kidnapped Michael.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dramatic Episode

You would think that, after years of dating and months of living together, Michael would know I could pick locks by now. I used to pick myself into his loft to surprise him and he never once called the cops. Michael's a real gentleman. (Well, _now._ ) And yet he handcuffed me to a metal fence in our loft. 

Sam came by the loft. I smashed Sam over the head with a bottle, grabbed my lock picks, handcuffed Sam to the fence and ran to the FBI building in Miami.

Well, not really "ran." It was more like "walk to the nearest bus stop, pay two dollars in fare along with some transfer tokens, and then turn myself into the FBI." Jesse took my car. You can't tell him to play fair and have him return my toys in a timely manner. 

I thought that if I gave myself up to the authorities, the leverage Anson had over Michael and I would be gone. The CIA could hunt for Anson until they could prove he set me up for the bombing at the British consulate. Hopefully my strategy would work. Otherwise, I'd be in a federal prison forever or unless Michael could rescue me. (It's hard to come up with anything like C4 and wire cutters in a prison environment. Visiting Michael in prison while he was helping a client taught me this.)

I wrote Michael a farewell letter, telling him how much I loved him ever since we properly met in the Black Sand Pub in Belfast. Little did I know that, prior to when we met, he was trying to blackmail me into offering my services. He actually put a bug in one of my snow globes because I was a bank robber. I gave him a black eye for that, and yet I still trusted him. "I've always known your heart," I wrote. No wonder he decided to put my contact information in his wallet. He's lucky they found me. I could've been living in the Australian outback, far from any human contact, and his mother would've been forced to pick up Michael from that motel he was dumped in. I'm not sure _how_ she would've had to pull him out of the motel, but I assume someone would've connected A to B and called Madeline.

I was all set to turn myself in. A man walked out and said to me "Fiona Glenanne?"

"Yes. I'm here to turn myself in."

But instead of arresting me, the same man told me "You're no longer a suspect in the British consulate bombing anymore."

"What?"

"We just received video evidence of an Anson Fullerton putting and setting off charges in the consulate. He's now our main suspect. Sorry for the inconvenience, Miss Glenanne."

I remember Michael was calling for me at the FBI building. "Fi! Fiona! Fi!" I assumed he'd try to race to the FBI building and try to save me before I attempted to turn myself into the authorities. I turned around.

Michael wasn't there, but the Charger was. Michael left the Charger in the middle of the street in busy traffic. 

Very smart, Michael. You've lived here most of your life, and you couldn't put the Charger in a parking lot, taken the keys out, threatened the parking lot attendant with a gun, and ran to the FBI building to attempt to save me. I know you were running on emotion and adrenaline, but you weren't _that_ sloppy when we terrorized Ireland together. 

The only thing to do was to walk to the Charger and take it back to the loft. Then I could call Jesse or Sam and figure out where they were without falling off McArthur Causeway. Michael even left his keys in the ignition. He should be thankful no one stole it. Well, except for me, of course, but I returned the Charger back to its home instead of stripping it for parts at a chop shop.

 

When I arrived back in the loft, none of the guys were there. I went into Michael's fridge and got a yogurt cup. I sat at the table and called Sam first. His phone rang and hung up. The same thing happened when I was attempting to call Jesse. 

As soon as I was about to call Madeline to see if she knew where the guys went, Agent Pearce walked through the door.

"Hello, Fiona."

"Agent Pearce."

"Have you heard anything from Michael?"

"No. I was about to call his mother when you came in."  
Pearce sat at the table. "The FBI called me. They said that, while you thought you were surrendering yourself for the British consulate bombing, a woman ran up to Michael and put a rag over his face. Anson stepped out of his car and helped the woman put Michael in his car, and they sped off. The FBI couldn't catch up to Anson and the woman."

I sighed. "That's the only lead we have?"

"What makes you believe we're going to work together? You have had a very impressive career, but I can't be seen looking for an operative with an Irish national in tow. Especially since you've worked with the IRA."

" _Provisional_ IRA. Don't ask me how many times the IRA has been splintered. I was 19 when I joined the Provisional IRA and I stayed with them for 14 years."

Pearce nodded. "I know, but it's even more impressive when you say it."

"Thank you."

"We only tolerated you because Michael trusted you. Without Michael, you're a liability we can't afford to take." 

"Well, isn't that why we should get together and find the guys, so you can still use my services?"

Pearce raised an eyebrow at me.

"I'd do anything for Michael. I'm sure if I'd been arrested for the consulate bombing, he'd do the same for me. Of course, knowing him, it would take weeks because he'd play with the red tape to bust me out. I've saved him before. His ego will be bruised a bit, but I'm sure he doesn't mind. I'm not going to wait for the police to find Anson's vehicle. Michael's not even considered a missing person by the police yet. They're not going to take action until tomorrow at the earliest, I believe."

"Are you suggesting I don't wait for the CIA or the FBI to go rogue with you?"

"I mean, if you _want_ to go rogue. I never actually said 'Let's go rogue.'"

Pearce shrugged. "Okay. Let's go rogue. I've got another clue. The FBI also told me this woman was blonde. I think it might be Rebecca Lang."

"Rebecca Lang?"

"I thought she was CIA Field Division, but it turns out she was working with Anson to sabotage Michael."

I frowned. Pearce laughed.

"Are you always this animated?"

"Animated?" I blinked. "I may as well call Madeline. Maybe she knows where Sam and Jesse are."

"Oh, and you don't have to call me 'Agent.' Pearce is fine. It's not like you're Michael."

"Noted." 

As soon as I was about to call Madeline I got another call on my phone. I put it on my cell phone's speaker.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, Fi."_

"Hi, Sam."

_"Jesse and I have good news and bad news."_

"Give me the good news first. I think I have an idea of what the bad news might be. And be on your best behavior because Agent Pearce is at the loft."

_"Agent Pearce?"_

"We're both looking for Michael too. You're not the only ones."

_"Okay, so the good news is we were able to catch up to Anson. We managed to follow him to South Beach."_

"So I guess this is where the bad news starts."

_"Yeah, so the bad news is Anson was able to cut our car off. Some woman threw a Molotov cocktail at the car. It set it on fire, and now the car and our cell phones are totaled. And we lost any weapons we had in the car. Sorry, Fi."_

"It's okay. I have car insurance."

_"Jesse and I are okay. We have to talk to the police about the totaled car, but we managed to get to a yogurt shop. It's not bad. Mikey'll love it. Say hi, Jesse."_

_"Hi, Jesse. Sam's right—this yogurt's good."_

I sighed. "Where's this yogurt place?"

_"You want yogurt at a time like this?"_

"No, Sam. I saved the Charger. Michael was kidnapped by Anson. The Charger was sitting in traffic. We're picking you up." I hadn't touched the yogurt. I put it back in the fridge. "I guess I'll have some yogurt too while we figure out where Michael's been kidnapped. Give me a minute while I change out of this dress. What flavors do they have?"

 

I took Michael's laptop from the loft. I figured maybe it would be useful in helping us find where Anson was. From there, I drove Pearce to the yogurt place Jesse and Sam were stranded at. 

After grabbing yogurt with Pearce, we sat down with Jesse and Sam at a table. 

"I'm sorry, Jesse," I told him as we sat down. "I couldn't find anything I liked other than vanilla. So, you were driving my car when it was totaled." 

"Yeah. Anson's car had passed where we had your car at, so we decided to follow him."

"But then he sensed you were following him."

"We didn't know Mike was in the car. We knew something was up, though, if he was thinking you were going to be in FBI custody." 

"So Anson and Rebecca hid long enough to light a Molotov cocktail, throw it against my car and run."

Jesse nodded. "Anson's a talented dude. Did you know he puts labels on his own bottles?"

Jesse handed me a burned piece of paper. "This was stuck on the Molotov cocktail. It's the only thing Sam and I saved from the car."

"Oh, look, it has a header—something Isles Mental Hospital."

"Hey, you brought Mike's computer. Let's figure out where this place is."

I turned on the laptop and looked up "Isles Mental Hospital." Nothing in the Miami area immediately came up. I typed in variations—"Isles Mental Hospital, Miami," "Isles Mental Hospital, Florida," " _Rizzoli & Isles_ Mental Hospital." Nothing. 

I was on the verge of giving up when I thought of the only place in the Miami area that had Isles in its name—Sunny Isles Beach, the neighborhood between about 160th and 199th Streets on Miami Beach. I typed in "Sunny Isles Mental Hospital." 

When I got search results for an actual abandoned hospital in North Miami, I was relieved. It was surprising to see a hospital named "Sunny Isles Mental Hospital" in North Miami, but an abandoned place in Miami is still an abandoned place in Miami.

"Unless Anson is tricking us this time, he's taken Michael to _Sunny_ Isles Mental Hospital. I know where it is. Sam, you should know too. We've done jobs in North Miami."

"Yeah, like when we robbed Royal Cleaners."

Pearce looked at me.

"What? It was part of our cover. We don't usually rob dry cleaners."

 

We loaded the Charger with any weapons and things we could make into weapons and sped off to North Miami.  
Sunny Isles Mental Hospital is behind a shopping complex that has a Publix in it. It's very easy to spot. It's a tall green building. I guess most people would think of it as an eyesore. Despite the gentrification that's happened near this hospital, it's been completely forgotten. It was a perfect place for Anson to stash away Michael. He could drag Michael inside the hospital while Rebecca could park the car in front of Publix like she was getting groceries. 

Unlike Anson, I prefer a direct approach. I parked the Charger beside the hospital. We stepped out of the car.

"Pearce, you're with me. We're taking the top floors of the hospital. Sam, Jesse, you take the lower floors."

"So what happens if me and Jesse find Mikey first?"

"You call me." I pulled out my switchblade knife and retracted it. "I have a knife."

Jesse broke open the locked door to the mental hospital, and we walked in.

 

As Pearce and I walked up to the highest floor of this hospital, she said "Why do you want me as your backup instead of Sam or Jesse? They both know Michael more than I do. If Max wasn't killed, I wouldn't even be in Michael's life right now." 

"You wanted to go rogue for this mission, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm trying to let a little bit of me rub off on you. First, there's this mission. Then, if Michael's okay and you're lucky, we'll find a place so you can blow up your very own illegally obtained C4 block."

"I'm not trying to lose my job hanging around you all the time."

"Jesse still has a job and he helps Michael out. I'm sure you can keep yours even though you're a fed. Enough talking. I'm running down the hallway and opening doors. I need you to do the same thing but from this end of the hall. You got it?"

"Got it."

I ran down the hall and from there, we slowly opened the doors to the floor of the hospital.

We ended up across from each other where we found Anson, Michael and Rebecca in one of the hospital's rooms. Michael had just finished wiring a bomb in a corner of the room. Rebecca had a rifle pointed at Michael's head.

"Does this seem familiar to you, Fiona?" Anson said. 

"You forced Michael into a tiger kidnapping."

"A tiger kidnapping?" Pearce said.

"It's when aggressors kidnap innocents to do their bidding. The IRA did this a lot—they'd kidnap others and have them plant car bombs. But I never participated in a tiger kidnapping. It's part of why I quit the Provisional IRA. I don't harm innocents. That's final. Come to think of it, I bet you were taunting me with the Molotov cocktail. How'd you know I've made Molotovs in the past?"

"That's not important right now. I didn't think you'd bring a friend."

"We're aware of what you've done, Anson," Pearce said. "You've tried to sabotage a CIA mission, you've framed an Irish national for the deaths of two people in a consulate building and you've torched a sports car. And now you're attempting to take out a few streets in North Miami. I just happen to be in the very building you're trying to do it in."

"I plan to do even more, Agent Pearce."

"No you won't. You're wanted by the CIA and the FBI. All I have to do is make one phone call and I'll have North Miami police surround this building. Once the FBI comes, it's all over."

"I don't think it's over yet. Rebecca!"

Rebecca charged towards us with the rifle. Pearce grabbed the stock of the rifle. Turning the nozzle away from us, she kicked Rebecca in the crotch. Pearce grabbed the gun by its butt and pushed Rebecca to the ground. With the rifle now in her hands, Pearce pointed it at Rebecca. 

"Shame, Rebecca. You could've been a good CIA agent, and you've thrown it away."

By the time Pearce disarmed Rebecca, Anson was gone. 

I called Sam.

"Sam? We found Anson and captured his henchman, but Anson's gotten away. Can you check and see if he's still in the hospital?"

_"Yeah, Fi. We're on it."_

"We also found Michael. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to defuse a bomb."

 

By the time North Miami police had arrived at the hospital, Anson was gone. I assume he'd gotten into the car he rode to North Miami in and fled. Finding his car would take a while. Knowing Anson, he'd probably ditch the car for another car somewhere else in the area. He was still out there, and he probably had more henchmen to make life hell for all of us. But at least I had Michael back for now. And at least Anson didn't take out North Miami.

Later, the FBI came to the hospital and asked Pearce what she was doing there.

"I have a friend who lives on Sans Souci Boulevard," Pearce told them. "She's elderly and can't get her groceries from Publix. Sometimes I get her groceries. I saw someone who looked like Rebecca Lang walk towards the hospital. I decided to follow her. It's a coincidence that Fiona Glenanne and her friends were at the hospital at the same time I was following Rebecca. Rebecca locked the door, but Jesse Porter broke it open again. I decided to team up with Fiona to find Michael since she didn't have backup. We found Michael and caught Rebecca, but we lost Anson in the process."

Michael and I sat beside the hospital while Pearce was talking to the FBI.

"Are you okay, Michael?"

"Yeah, Fi. All Anson did was knock me out. I was a distraction so he could flee. He was expecting you to look for me while Sam and Jesse looked elsewhere, but he didn't realize Pearce knew about his disappearance. I doubt he was going to take out North Miami with that bomb."

"Is the CIA making you go to the hospital?"

"No."

"Well, after we talk to the police, I'm going to take care of you at home. We can bathe together, and I'll feed you yogurt until you feel better."

"That's nice, Fi, but I'd like to get back to work tomorrow."

"You don't have to go back to work tomorrow. You've already been through a horrific day. Anson ruined your first day back at work. You almost lost me to the FBI. And then, to top it all off, Anson kidnapped you and forced you to make a bomb he wasn't going to set off. You should stay at home tomorrow. I have the cure for what ails you." I raised my eyebrows up and down and smiled. "I _always_ do."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'll take a day off work so you can take care of me. But only tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Michael." 

Pearce sat beside us. 

"The police and the FBI are starting to leave."

"I heard your lie to the FBI. Pretty good. I couldn't have come up with anything better."

"Thank you, Fiona. Oh, and I'm taking you up on the C4 offer."

"I was joking."

"I want more of you to rub off on me. It's nice to be cautious, but sometimes you've got to throw caution to the wind and do what's right. Like you. I assume tomorrow isn't a good time for me to learn some of your secrets."

I nodded.

"I need to check my work schedule, but whenever we're both free, we're blowing up some C4." 

"It's a deal, Pearce."

Michael turned to me. "Fi..."

"We worked together to save your life and the lives of everyone who lives in North Miami, Michael. It's a small price to pay to have your life intact."

Michael grumbled and smiled at me. I kissed Michael on the lips.

"I think you need to drive us back to the loft," Pearce said.

"It's not a problem. Do you want me to obey the speed limit, or do you want me to drive past cars on Biscayne? I'm sure you can come up with some excuse."

Pearce shrugged. "You have to live dangerously every once in a while, right? Let's speed back to the loft."

Pearce is finally showing her wild side. Who knew?


End file.
